WASHINGTON, D.C.—Capt. John Prater, president of
the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l, issued the following statement on the
historic election of President-elect Barack Obama and Vice-president-elect Joe
Biden.

“The Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA)
offers sincere congratulations to President-elect Obama and Vice-president-elect
Biden on this historic election. Across this nation, the tens of thousands of
airline pilots whom ALPA represents are heralding this as a new era for our
industry and our profession.

“During his campaign, President-elect Obama
expressed his opposition to cabotage and any change to the current policy that
prohibits foreign control of U.S. airlines and his strong support for bankruptcy
reform and workers’ collective bargaining rights. These fundamentals forge a
promising platform of progress for the U.S. airline industry and for its workers
and their families.

“ALPA stands ready to work together with the
Obama administration to ensure that airline pilots can continue to provide
passengers and cargo shippers with safe, secure, and efficient air
transportation and that the U.S. airline industry is well-positioned to help
drive our country’s economy toward a strong recovery.”

Founded in 1931, ALPA is the world’s largest
pilot union representing more than 53,000 pilots at 37 airlines in the United
States and Canada.